Special Sections

Spring 2017 Central Coast AGRICULTURE A special advertising & content section of the Monterey Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel JOHNJHAGINS@AOL.COM ISA CERTIFIED ARBORIST CONTRACTOR # 1 0 1 1 8 5 8 408-768-2799 Youth Advocates Break Ground for Ted Taylor Agricultural Center By Krystle Hemmings Aer nearly 10 years of planning and fundraising, staff and supporters of Rancho Cielo Youth Campus used golden shovels to break ground on the Ted Taylor Agricultural Center on Saturday, April 8. The 27,0000-square-foot facili- ty will give young people the opportunity to receive a high school diploma and take vocational classes related to agriculture. It's a model that mirrors the Drummond Culinary Academy at Rancho Cielo. The Center's name- sake, Ted Taylor (1931- 1991), was the head of Bruce Church Co., a national ag leader, and a mentor to local youth. Joanne Taylor Johnson, Taylor's widow, and their son, Taylor Farms CEO Bruce Taylor, were there to honor his memory and help celebrate the new beginning. Also attending were donors representing the agriculture, hospitality, and construction industries along with local foundations. Combined, these donors gave $9.3 million to the capital cam- paign for the new building, including a $1 million pledge from Rabobank. Leading the groundbreaking was John Phillips, Monterey County Supervisor and founder of Rancho Cielo. Phillips, along with Rancho Cielo board members Don Chapin and Karen Curtis, came up with the concept of an ag voca- tional school in 2006. They approached Joanne Taylor Johnson for a gi to launch the fundraising effort. She and her family pledged $1 million. All in all, however, Taylor Johnson, along with Ted Taylor's sister Janet Taylor Cotter, Bruce and Linda Taylor, Taylor Farms, Steve and Kathy Taylor, and daughter Carrie Taylor Doherty have given in excess of $2 million. Taylor Johnson said she initially declined the offer to name the facility aer her late husband, but changed her mind when she was shown a long list of people who admired Ted and had re- ceived guidance, and coach- ing from him — which, she noted, sometimes came in the form of a scolding. Con- struction faced a few delays, including ones caused by an environmental impact report required by Monterey County and the recession in the late 2000's. Another was a side effect of a $1.1 million YouthBuild grant from the U.S. Department of Labor in 2011, which led to a three- year project to build Rancho Cielo's Transitional Housing Village. That project is now complete. The capital campaign to build the Center, led by Ted Balestreri and Rancho Cielo CEO Susie Brusa, began in 2014. In two years and three months, they had raised $8 million.The new ag vocation- al center will be a two-story building with four wings, with one wing opening at a time. Courses will be offered in automotive and tractor repair, metal fabrication and welding, irrigation and water solutions, agricultural value-added services, re- frigeration, food safety and sustainable construction solutions. -Joanne Taylor Johnson. Taylor family matriarch. Widow of Ted Taylor; mother of Bruce Taylor. Daughter of Bruce Church. -Members of the Taylor Family break ground on the new facility. Shadowbrook Restaurant owner and graduate of the national, award-winning program Focus Agriculture Class XXIV, Ted Burke, was recognized as the 2017 Al Smith Friend of Agriculture. Burke encourages friends and colleagues to apply to Agri-Culture's Focus Agriculture program, many of whom have gone on to participate and graduate from the program. Burke is committed to using locally grown products and to sup- porting local ag businesses. Ted Burke Recognized as 2017 Al Smith Friend of Agriculture He is a member and support- er of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, Agri-Culture, and the Pajaro Valley Cham- ber of Commerce. Shad- owbrook's kitchen roof is a turf-roof planted with herbs, edible flowers and seasonal produce which is used in the kitchen and bar. Shadow- brook promotes the Country Crossroads maps of 'U-Pick' farms and the inside front cover of the menu lists the names of local farms and growers who provide the restaurant with products. The restaurant has a weekly promotion in the bar and the dining room, Winemaker Wednesday, which features and promotes a local winery for that entire week. In addition, Burke served as a principal speaker at the 2015 National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon and is a member and supporter of Community Alliance of Fam- ily Farmers (CAFF) and Buy Fresh, Buy Local. Congrat- ulations to Ted Burke and Shadowbrook. -Provided photo

• Cover